A household sewing machine comprises generally a lower arm, a standard and an upper arm, whereby the lower arm is provided with a sewing table at one end. The standard rises from the other end of the lower arm and supports the upper arm, which overhangs the lower arm and terminates in a sewing head. The sewing head is provided with a presser foot lift arrangement comprising a presser bar, which has a presser foot mounted at a lower end. Furthermore, the presser foot lift arrangement comprises a presser foot lift, by means of which the presser bar may be vertically moved so as to vertically move the presser foot in relation to the sewing table.
Today, both mechanically and electrically operated presser foot lift arrangements are known. Most of the known mechanically operated presser foot lift arrangements comprise a presser bar which may be locked at one lifting height only, i.e. at a so-called “normal” lifting height. When the presser bar is locked at the normal lifting height, the presser foot is positioned at such a height that a fabric may be introduced and removed from the stitching instrumentalities. For example, one type of mechanically operated presser foot lift arrangement comprising a presser bar, which may be locked at one lifting height only, is disclosed in US 2007/0204777.
However, a mechanically operated presser foot lift arrangement, which comprises a presser bar that may be locked at two different lifting heights, is also known. More specifically, the known such mechanically operated presser foot lift arrangement comprises a presser bar, which may be locked at the normal lifting height, but also at a so-called “free motion” lifting height. The free motion lifting height is lower than the normal lifting height and is utilized at free-hand sewing, whereby the presser foot tilts up and down against the fabric. This requires a specific type of presser foot.
The known sewing machines being provided with the known mechanically operated presser foot lift arrangement, which comprises a presser bar that may be locked at a normal lifting height and at a free motion lifting height, has the presser lift mounted at a right-hand side of the sewing head. In order to lock the presser bar at the free motion lifting height, the presser bar has to be lifted half-way up to the normal lifting height, where after the presser lift is pushed and folded backwards such that it is engaged with a recess on the outside of the sewing head. Thus, the procedure for locking the presser bar at the free motion lifting height is relatively laborious.
When applying free-hand sewing, a switch between the normal lifting height and the free motion lifting height is required rather frequently. Thereby the user has to perform the laborious process several times, which implies that a lot of time is needed for the switching.
Thus, in accordance with the above mechanically operated presser foot lift arrangements, which comprise a presser bar that may be locked at one or two lifting heights, are known today. However, the known arrangement comprising a presser bar that may be locked at two lifting heights is associated with a relatively laborious locking process. Furthermore, for different reasons it may also be desired or required to be able to lock the presser bar at more than two lifting heights.
Electrically operated presser foot lift arrangements, which comprise a presser bar that may be locked at several lifting heights, are known today. For example, such presser foot lift arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,997 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,914.
However, there is still a need for an improved mechanically operated presser foot lift arrangement comprising a presser bar, which may be locked at two or more different lifting heights and which is not associated with the above mentioned drawbacks.